Russian forces mistakenly down own Ka‑52 in friendly fire incident
According to Russian sources, the Russian Aerospace Forces have lost another Ka-52 helicopter, marking the 58th such incident. Although the official cause of the loss has not been announced, preliminary investigation results suggest friendly fire, indicating that the Russians once again shot down their own aircraft.
The downing of the Ka-52 Alligator helicopter was reported by Russian-speaking sources on the Telegram service. The valuable aircraft was reportedly lost on December 18th, but information about the incident only surfaced a few days later.
Based on unofficial, preliminary investigation results, the helicopter was mistakenly attacked by Russian forces, resulting in the death of the two-person crew. This marks at least the 58th Ka-52 helicopter loss by Russia in the war in Ukraine. Several of these helicopters have been downed by their own forces.
This indicates that the Ka-52s make up nearly half of all helicopters lost by the Russians during this conflict. Production, estimated at probably 10-20 units per year, does not compensate for the losses incurred. The cost of one unit, according to contract documentation, is at least 25 million dollars.
Problems with the Ka-52 helicopters
The unfavorable statistics for the Ka-52 may be surprising, given the pre-war emphasis on the alleged modernity and resilience of this design, which is theoretically equipped with advanced self-defense systems.
The Ka-52 is also characterized by a unique rotor configuration—it does not have a tail rotor, but instead features two main coaxial rotors mounted one above the other.
The Russians have frequently highlighted the innovative crew evacuation system implemented in this helicopter. Both crew members are seated in ejection seats. To make ejection possible, moments before launching the crew, pyrotechnic charges eject the rotor blades, thereby creating space for the evacuating crew.
This helicopter-specific solution does not inspire confidence among Russian pilots; available materials indicate that they do not use the ejection seats even in the event of serious machine damage.
